Letters to the Editor for Nov. 10, 2012

An open letter from Canine AcademyWith our 38th Anniversary approaching on Nov. 11, you only have to drive by to see the changes at Canine Academy! The volume of business we have experienced has necessitated the replacement of the 200 year old carriage house that was our office with a larger and sturdier structure. We dearly loved the charm and character of the original building and hope to incorporate the warmth into the new one.

We have presently set up a temporary office in our Training Hall to facilitate the signing in of your pets either for boarding or training.

We ask that you call first so that you can be given directions to this facility on our grounds. With the large number of calls it may be difficult to get through at times and a second phone line may be in the works for next year. If you do experience difficulty, please continue trying - as customers ( old and new ) and their pets are extremely important to us.

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The popularity of our boarding and training services made us consider expanding the kennel. However, the decision has been made NOT to do so. That decision was based on NOT wanting the QUALITY of service to be compromised with quantity.

Thanking you in advance for your patience and understanding during this time of construction. We look forward to serving you and the needs of your pets. www.canineacademy.com, 336 Winchester Road - Route 263, Winchester, 379-6631.

--William H. and Peggy E. Ruddy, owners, Winchester

We The People Republican Presidents Abraham Lincoln, Teddy Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan often showed a liberal stance in some of their actions and writings. Like the Founding Fathers they embraced the first three words of the Constitution, "We the People."

Their policies were reflected by actions that strongly indicated that "We the People" meant all races, all religions, all nationalities, all immigrants, all genders and in short all Americans.

We the People" does not mean We the Republican Party or We the Democratic Party or We the Political Action Committees. Those Republican Presidents like the Founding Fathers would firmly reject the political nonsense of the Republican Platform today and its' ultra-radical conservative representatives who espose it. Does ignorance, racism and prejudice trump the common sense of "We the People?" I hope not.

Gene Griessman a Lincoln scholar of national fame in his book Words Lincoln Lived By, published 1997 by Simon & Schuster Inc, Library Of Congress ISBN 0-684-84122-3 quotes many of Lincoln's statements that should make sense to all Americans. Two if Lincoln's quotes are fiound on page 51 and 79 respectively and are appropriate today.

"The spirit of concession and compromise--that spirit which hs never failed us in past perils....may be safely trusted for all the future." ..."reason, cold, calculating, unimpassioned reason, must furnish all the materials for our future support and defence."

Abraham Lincoln. Think about those words of our greatest President.

--Bob Gioscia, Harwinton

Sandy's devastation Hurricane Sandy did much damage, power lines and trees were knocked down. The winds were treacherous and the rain was heavy.

Down by the shoreline was where the worst damage was done. Some people lost their homes and belongings.

This is all quite a sad sight to behold.

Unfortunately four people died in Connecticut as a result of the storm and 33 in the country. I'd like to say a special prayer for these people and their families and friends. May they rest in peace, and consolation to their relatives and associates.

--Arlene Ascenzo, Torrington

Annual propaganda Regarding the recent op-ed written by William A. Collins about his attendance at the annual propaganda dinner hosted by Iran's mission to the United Nations, a more accurate headline would have been "The monster pretended he wasn't as bad as he really is."

True, Iran didn't join Iraq in using poison gas during their war; instead, it used gave children plastic keys to heaven and sent them running across mine fields to clear them. As explained by Mohebat Ahdiyyih in his article, "Ahmadinejad and the Mahdi," Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has made Mahdism "a focal point of his rhetoric."

Among other preconditions, Ahmadinejad believes "the destruction of liberal democratic states and Western capitalism, and an end to the United States as a superpower ... will enable Shi'i domination and the establishment of a world government."

This is the country Collins implies exists on a higher moral level than America and this is the leader from whom Collins said "it was enlightening to hear."

Our country isn't perfect and our political leaders aren't always totally open and honest, but I can't join Collins in giving more credence to the words of Mahmoud Ahmedinejad than to those of President Obama and living comfortably with the thought of nuclear weapons in the hands of the mad mullahs who are Ahmedinejad's bosses.